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Australian of the Year

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Australian of the Year THE SOCIALSOCIAL SCIENCESSCIENCES SHAPE THE NATION Acknowledgements AUTHOR CONTRIBUTORS • Ms Paula Hanasz • Professor Kym Andersen AC* • Professor Marian Baird AO* EDITORS • Professor Jeff Bennett* • Professor Bruce Chapman AM* • Professor Glenn Withers AO* • Professor Peter Dixon AO* • Dr John Beaton • Professor Stephen Dovers* • Ms Liz West • Professor Peter Drysdale AO* • Mr Murray Radcliffe • Professor Stephen Duckett * • Ms Sunita Kumar • Professor Meredith Edwards AM* • Professor John Freebairn* PEER REVIEWERS • Professor Jane Hall* • Mr Sam Hardwick • Professor Peter Spearritt* • Emeritus Professor Ian Harper* • Emeritus Professor Sheila Shaver* • Dr Timothy Higgins • Dr Mike Keating AC* GRAPHIC DESIGN • Professor Hal Kendig* • Professor Andrew Mackinnon* • Ms Liz West • Emeritus Professor Barry McGaw AO* • Professor Andrew Podger AO* • Professor Peter Saunders* • Emeritus Professor Steven Schwartz AM* • Emeritus Professor Peter Spearritt* © Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Inc. 2017 • Professor Peter Sutton* ISBN: 978-0-9925829-2-0 (print) • Professor John Taylor* ISBN: 978-0-9925829-3-7 (online) • Dr Dennis Trewin AO* Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction rights should be addressed to: • Emeritus Professor Patrick Troy AO* The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia • Dr George Wilkenfeld GPO Box 1956, Canberra ACT 2601 • Professor Michael Woods +61 2 6249 1788 [email protected] The Academy is not responsible, as a body, for the opinions * Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia expressed in any of its publications. @ACADSOCSCI B WWW.ASSA.EDU.AU 2 FELLOWS OF THE ACADEMY FEATURED IN THIS REPORT • Philip Adams • Ken Henry • Peter Aggleton • Ross Homel • Dennis Altman • Ken Inglis • Kym Anderson • Anthony Jorm • Marian Baird • James Jupp • Larissa Behrendt • Mike Keating • Jeff Bennett • Hal Kendig • Linda Botterill • Susan Kippax • Noel G Butlin • Simon Marginson • Quentin Bryce • Andrew Markus • Bettina Cass • John McCallum • Ian Castles • Peter McDonald • Bruce Chapman • Barry McGaw • Simon Chapman • Patrick McGorry • Hilary Charlesworth • Warwick McKibbin • Herbert Coombs • Marcia Neave • Max Corden • John Nieuwenhuysen • Sir John Crawford • Adrian Pagan • Peter Dixon • Ken Pearson • Mick Dodson • Andrew Podger • Peter Drahos • Alan Powell • Peter Drysdale • Charles Price • Stephen Duckett • Sue Richardson • Meredith Edwards • Peter Saunders • Allan Fels • Jason Sharman • Brian Fisher • Richard Snape • Ross Garnaut • Fiona Stanley • Quentin Grafton • Peter Sutton • Adam Graycar • Patrick Troy • Robert Gregory • Melanie Wakefield • Keith Hancock • Don Weatherburn • Ann Harding • John Western • Ian Harper • Glenn Withers * Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia 3 represented. We will be encouraging our Academy Fellows and other colleagues to provide more and help us further document what has been achieved. Matters having to do with business and high finance, the governance of FOREWORD health, taxation, education, transport, international trade, security, The opening piece in this volume, immigration, wages and conditions, entitled “Hiding in Plain Sight”, essential services, communities and presents a few graphs that herald a just about everything else that affects tone heard quietly throughout the the living standards and wellbeing other chapters: the oft understated of Australian people, is grist for the but really quite impressive salience of mill in social sciences. Perhaps it is the social sciences. the sheer commonness of what social sciences achieve across such a vast The social science qualifications of portfolio that makes them easy to those who work in the Australian take for granted. Public Service and leading ASX companies is one indicator featured But not always. One primary function there. The other indicator throughout of the social sciences is to provide this report is the contributions socially critical analysis. This means from social scientists to national asking sometimes uncomfortable policy. Such contributions are the and challenging questions about the predominant focus of the volume - standing of our ways. Engagement which features cases where major in serious debate of this kind is one policy advance has come from social clear hallmark of an open, liberal science research and efforts. In democracy in contrast to coercive, critical aspects of Australian life, closed authoritarian systems. social science has helped change how we do things, for the better. Most social science is, nevertheless, a quiet achiever in going about Beyond curiosity-driven research what it is and does. Social science and beyond the transmission of is systematic development of logic knowledge, this volume encompasses and evidence to help understand engagement and impact. The volume human behaviour in its social setting, presents a selection of what could including the nature of economic, be many examples of this. Indeed political and community activity and selection for the report is so invidious institutions. that we apologise to the many not 4 The advancement of Social science also works with colleagues the Australian economy in the natural and physical sciences, relies on robust research technology and engineering, and arts and from physical science humanities, in these tasks and in their and social science alike. areas of concern too. Indeed pursuit of such ‘holistic’ knowledge is becoming The social sciences have a major task of modern scholarship been instrumental in alongside increasingly reflecting on the assisting government to process of engagement and impact that is design public policy. They of most concern here. also provide valuable For the present, I commend this volume insight into how to turn to you as a sample of what professional a scientific discovery Australian social scientists, and those into an informed policy with social science backgrounds, have been doing for many years, working for for the nation, and how the public and national benefit, even to implement that policy if not always in plain sight, and if not to ensure effectiveness. always in the headlines. Innovation is most The contributions ranging from health- successful when it further care to water-management, from integrates social and competition policy to equal pay and scientific knowledge. participation, and from immigration to education and more are exposited. These should help convince any doubters in this Senator The Hon Arthur Sinodinos AO era of “fiscal consolidation” and “post- Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science fact decision-making” that we must as a nation support enhancement of the knowledge base in our society. The production of this volume owes much to those who gave generously of their time. Contributors and others are listed on the preceding pages and deserve our thanks. PROFESSOR GLENN WITHERS Academy President 1 Table of contents Playing Fair And Winning 32 Big: reforming the National Competition Policy Australian social scientists 37 pioneer open regionalism in 4 INTRODUCTION Asia Pacific Bringing economics to the 42 8 Hiding in plain sight streets The value of the national 42 Economy-wide modelling 10 Census 44 ENVIRONMENT 12 EDUCATION Top marks for Australia’s 45 A climate for policy change 13 higher education funding scheme Growing Food, Growing Back To School: learning 51 Profits: agricultural how the social sciences economics in action 18 can improve the national Going with the flow of good 55 curriculum water management ECONOMY & 22 MANAGEMENT 59 Knowledge of power Reaching Maturity: the development of Australia’s 61 LAW & JUSTICE 23 mandatory superannuation On The Right Path: human contribution scheme 62 rights legislation in Australia Reserve Bank Board: 28 Defeating family violence participation and influence 65 with social science 30 The Productivity Commission The Verdict is In: diversionary conferencing for juvenile The ACCC and consumer 68 31 offenders is cutting court rights costs and crime rates 2 Innovation is the implementation of invention. The social sciences turn research into policy and policy into impact. Supporting children through Introduction of activity based 70 103 innovative policy 'case mix' funding Understanding and National Disability Insurance 104 74 combating crime with social Scheme science 105 SOCIAL CHANGE 76 Ending conscription Equal pay for equal work in Navigating intellectual 106 78 the fair go nation property Addressing Inequality: Data sovereignty for 82 111 economic and social policy indigenous peoples research in Australia 84 PUBLIC HEALTH Skills for the Future: 114 Australia's immigration Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: system 85 Australia's universal health insurance system 121 Immigration data Tough stance on tobacco 89 Social science and Native packaging is saving lives 122 Title Prevention is Better Than Supporting working parents Cure: containing the HIV 127 93 through evidence-led policy epidemic with behavioural change Building the Future: urban 130 planning in Australia Random breath testing and 96 its not-so-random deterrence 134 CONCLUSION effects on drink driving 137 References 100 Social determinants of health Prevention, early intervention 100 and accessibility in mental health 3 SOCIAL SCIENCE - BY THE NUMBERS All of these achievements owe some credit to social 1ST science research, The RBT Program has programs or systems. directly contributed to a Australia ranked 1st in 33% reduction in alcohol To find out more, turn the 2013 OECD Better related fatalities on the page ... Life
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